Blinatumomab is one of several approaches to harness the immune system, and these therapies will revolutionize the treatment of cancer, but we will have to balance the effects of ‘revving up’ the immune system with toxicity. Compared with CAR [chimeric antigen receptor] T cells [made from each patient’s T cells] genetically engineered to target the CD19 antigen, blinatumomab is an ‘off the shelf” treatment for all patients,” said Catherine Bollard, MD, a bone marrow transplant specialist at Children’s National Hospital and George Washington University, Washington, DC. ■